Minnesota Basketball: Preview of Golden Gophers 2020-21 depth chart
By Ben Dickson
Minnesota Power Forwards
The power forward spot is more of a toss-up for Minnesota in terms of who is going to start. Graduate transfer Brandon Johnson comes in from Western Michigan where he earned All-MAC honors after averaging over 15 points and eight rebounds per game. The big man also proved capable from three-point land, as he made exactly one-third of his 66 attempts.
Competing with Johnson for the starting power forward job will be none other than sophomore Isaiah Ihnen. The native German is coming off of a solid freshman campaign where he averaged 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in limited action.
Regardless of who ends up starting for Minnesota, both Johnson and Ihnen should earn at least 20 minutes of playing time each. It can also be expected to see both get some playing time at the center spot. I would give the edge to Johnson because Minnesota purposefully went out and got him for this upcoming season, but it will be hard to solidly know until the games are actually being played.
Jarvis Omersa also returns to the Twin Cities for his junior year. Averaging 2.5 points and nearly 2 boards in only 11.5 minutes per contest last season, Omersa is another guy who looks to take a big step this upcoming season. Being overshadowed by the likes of other members of the Minnesota frontcourt, the high-flying Omersa has a lot to prove going into this season. I would expect him to register around 10-15 minutes per game this season.
Redshirt senior Eric Curry also returns to Minnesota. It has been a tough run for Curry, who has not played a full season since his freshman year in 2016-17 due to multiple lower-body injuries. It will be hard for Gopher fans to ask for much from Curry after so much time missed due to injuries. He could see some time, but overall expectations for him must be hampered.